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Have Manchester United’s title hopes been dented after this departure?

On 16th August, Manchester United will begin their defence of the Premier League title against Newcastle, although there’ll be a familiar face missing from the dug-out. That’s because Carlos Queiroz has been unable to refuse the call of national duty and is set to become the new manager of Portugal, thus leaving Sir Alex Ferguson somewhat in the lurch.

The Guardian reports that the club will receive £1million in compensation for losing their assistant manager, although this move has larger implications as far as Cristiano Ronaldo’s future is concerned.

His departure presents Ferguson with an unwanted problem ahead of the forthcoming season, not least because Queiroz was supposed to play a major part in persuading Cristiano Ronaldo to resist Real Madrid’s advances. Ferguson hopes to appoint a replacement before the start of the season, the likelihood being that he will headhunt someone from outside.

Pesky Chelsea, recruiting Phil Scolari and leaving a void for Queiroz to fill. Many (including Fergie) had touted the Portugeezer as the next manager of Man United and it’s clear that he played a major role in the Red Devils’ success of the past two seasons. The Scot loses his partner in crime, although there are surely coaches queueing up around Old Trafford to assist him in trying to land a hat-trick of titles next term.